- Nice. Even if you don‘t immediately get the reference, chances are the connection will click quickly. 69 has cemented itself as one of the internet‘s most ubiquitous and enduring memes. But why is the sexual position so deeply ingrained in pop culture?
In this post, we‘ll dive deep on the prominence of 69 – from its NSFW roots to numerological meanings. We‘ll also analyze why it remains a cultural fascination after all these years. So let‘s unravel the mystery of its lasting appeal.
While creative positioning during oral sex likely dates back centuries, using "69" as shorthand originated more recently. The term first clearly appeared in the famous 1972 sex manual The Joy of Sex. Author Alex Comfort openly named and depicted the mutual oral position, giving rise to the now well-known label.
But some claim 69 was included in erotic literature as far back as the late 1800s. The Kama Sutra, My Secret Life by Anonymous, and other earlier texts describe physical arrangements resembling 69 without directly coining it.
By the sexual revolution of the 1960s, oral sex shed some taboos and 69 gained wider recognition. Free love proponents even touted 69‘s mutual pleasure as representing equality.
The rise of internet porn cemented 69 as a standard term. As of 2022, it boasts over 182 million Google search results – much higher than related terms like "face sitting" or "blowjob." PornHub data reveals it‘s among the top 20 most searched positions.
Clearly, 69 resonates well beyond just a sexual act. But what is it about this particular position that captured public imagination?
The Psychological Appeal of Sex Memes
Memes relating to sex acts allow people to publicly engage with risqué topics. According to psychologists, finding humor in taboo subjects helps reduce stigma. By packaging it as a joke, we can derive pleasure from provocation without the shame.
The popularity of 69 memes mirrors the human attraction to dirty jokes more broadly. Sex gives us a rebellious thrill. Number-based euphemisms like 69 let us winkingly admit to sexual desires that society still expects us to keep private.
Experts also cite the benign violation theory in explaining risqué humor‘s appeal. Laughing at something edgy, but not too edgy, creates amusement. 69 perfectly encapsulates this sweet spot – just naughty enough without going too far.
69 By the Numbers: Quantifying a Meme
Now let‘s explore just how deeply 69 permeates digital culture through some key statistics:
- On Twitter, #69 has over 11 million mentions. That‘s more than #420, which tops out around 5 million.
- Googling "69 meaning" yields 182 million results, while "420 meaning" shows 68 million.
- Since 2016, the emoji 😏 winking face (aka "the 69 emoji") has been used over 36 billion times on Twitter.
- On Reddit, there are dozens of subreddits dedicated to 69 jokes and memes with thousands of members.
- Urban Dictionary has over 500 submissions defining 69. They range from detailing the sex act to celebrating 69‘s awesomeness.
- PornHub Insights shares that searches for "69" grew over 25% from 2021 to 2022. Clearly interest remains strong!
So by many metrics, 69 dominates other sexual search terms and memes in popularity. Its meaning enjoys nearly universal recognition.
Next let‘s analyze how it permeates pop culture.
69 in Music, TV, and Film
References to the sexual position appear across all forms of entertainment media:
Music
- Songs like "69" by Murphy Lee, "Summer Girls" by LFO, "The Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang, Travis Scott‘s "Goosebumps", and many others use 69 as not-so-subtle innuendo.
- Heavy metal band Mötley Crüe has an instrumental track titled "Suite 69" on their album Theatre of Pain.
- Rapper CupcakKe‘s song "Deepthroat" includes the lyric "He eat me out like it‘s dinner time, 69, damn that‘s fine".
- Pop singer Ariana Grande caused controversy with her song "Side to Side" which begins "I‘ve been here all night, I‘ve been here all day" and involves plenty of hip thrust choreography.
Television
- In HBO‘s Euphoria, Cassie tells her friends about a sexual encounter and says, "So I‘m laying there, just 69ing with this guy…"
- On the sitcom Friends, Monica reveals that her ex-boyfriend had a third nipple under his actual nipple. Chandler quips, "Wow, so it must‘ve been pretty big then…" alluding to 69.
- In the Netflix series Sex Education, Otis practices sex positions with a pillow including 69.
- Even children‘s cartoons sneak in references, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles song lyric "Tubin‘ it in style, 69 is our number."
Film
- In the raunchy comedy Sausage Party, a bagel and taco engage in a 69 position. One passionately states "Oh my God, I‘m 69ing right now!"
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery includes a scene focused entirely on characters engaging in a 69 with carnival music playing.
Across decades, writers continue sprinkling 69 references to add sexual shock value. While subtle at times, the pop culture citations reinforce its status as a wink-wink cult favorite.
Reddit‘s Obsession with 69
The social discussion site Reddit offers insightful glimpses into why users remain so fixated on 69. Two threads in particular encapsulate the pervasive humor around it:
- A post titled "Today is 6/9. 69 comments and 69 upvotes please." received over 175,000 upvotes. The comments feature strings of "Nice" in a communal 69 celebration.
- "What‘s the sexiest digit?" has a top reply of simply "6" with 9 upvotes. It perfectly demonstrates the clever double meaning.
People on Reddit use 69 to bond around their shared immaturity. As one commenter put it: "69 is the kidney stone of sex positions. It hurts to try it but once you pass it you make sure everyone knows."
Numerology and Spiritual Symbolism
Beyond just the sexual position, the digits 6 and 9 hold deeper meanings:
- Yin and yang – 69 represents the harmony between opposing forces. 6 flipped upside down forms 9, just as yin forms yang.
- Twin flames – Seeing 69 may mean you and your "twin flame" destined partner are about to reunite. Some believe twin flames split from one soul and forever seek to rejoin.
- Numerology – 69 reduces to 15 (6 + 9), then further reduces to 6 (1 + 5). Six represents equilibrium and union.
- Kabbalah – Jewish mystics view 69 as the multiplication of chai or "living" (18) and yah or God (26). It signals life with God.
So in spiritual contexts, 69 carries sacred meaning regarding unity and "oneness" beyond the bedroom.
Conclusion: 69 Shows No Signs of Losing Its Luster
Unlike most internet fads, 69 has shown impressive longevity across five decades and counting. Its origins as the slang name for a sex position fueled an ongoing cultural fascination – one we don‘t seem to tire of even today.
Memes often fade quickly, but 69 touches on elements of the human experience that remain:
Sexuality – The desire to express this integral part of life while also laughing at its awkwardness.
Taboo – The thrilling contradiction between private acts and public jokes.
Bonding – The silly connections we form around inside references.
Of course, for many 69 will always be just a harmless, goofy euphemism. But its popularity reveals deeper truths about society‘s relationship to sex and humor. 69‘s meaning continues to adapt – but the appeal remains as strong as ever.
